A Letter and a Key
by Jaddora
Summary: Takes place after Richie Tankersley Cusick's "The Drifter". Carolyn is getting used to Glanton House, but she reads the letter everyday and wonders if she will ever see Joss again. She will find out soon enough.
Weeks passed since Carolyn received the letter.

She used to take it everywhere, keeping it in her pocket as she cleaned the house or walked around the village, and in the drawer of her nightstand when she went to bed. Creases had developed from the constant folding and unfolding, and the edges were becoming tattered. But this week she'd forced herself to keep it in her room. She knew if she was to have any hope of getting over Joss, she would have to start by cutting ties with that letter.

Still, its words occupied her mind, as did her memories of Joss and her fantasies of seeing him again. Every time she came through the front door she imagined him stepping out from the corner of the parlor, and whenever she strolled through the village she half expected to see him among the passers-by.

But she never did. Probably for the best, she told herself. He had wronged her in so many ways that at times she wondered if she should want anything to do with him if he did show up again. But whenever she felt angry at Joss, Carolyn remembered how he had pulled her up from the broken widow's walk… how he'd held her…how he had sent the silver chain with key attached. During moments like these, she found a place to be alone.

She had never felt so strongly for someone, didn't believe she could feel the same for anyone else, and was certain these feelings had been returned.

 _Obviously not, if he never comes back. And I can't waste my energy hoping he will. I need to get over him. For all I know, he was using me, just as Carolyn's drifter used her. Joss said he'd left people behind—lots of people. How many foolish girls like me?_

Then Carolyn thought of his kiss, and how often he'd seemed concerned for her. She thought again of his note, and the key. _If he'd been using me, why leave the hook behind?_

She lifted her face, setting her cheek on her arms, folded on her knees as she sat near the edge of the cliff. The sun was shining, glimmering over the water and the rocks below. This is where she most liked to be alone—away from the house, overlooking the beach, where she could see the last place she and Joss had been alone together.

 _If only I had listened to him, if only I'd let him explain. Maybe things would have turned out differently._

She often wondered what would have happened if she hadn't run from him on the beach. There were so many things she didn't understand, and all her thoughts led in one confusing circle.

A tear slipped from Carolyn's eye. She denied the urge to run into the house and grab the letter.

 _Soon school will start up, and I'll be out of the house, and maybe I'll meet some nice guy my age…._

 _Like Andy._

Carolyn scoffed. How could she ever trust a boy again, after those two? Still, despite what else he had done, Andy had taken a bullet for her.

Carolyn got to her feet. She brushed dirt off her pants, adjusted the bag on her shoulder, and headed into the village to exchange some books at the library. She tried to enjoy the weather. Chilly as it was compared to summer in Ohio, soon it would be autumn, and she'd look back on these days with longing.

She spent about an hour in the library, talking with Jean. Her friend managed to distract her temporarily, but now that she was outside again, her cloud of unhappy thoughts overshadowed her once more.

She recalled the person she'd seen in the fog after first reading Joss's letter. Had she imagined him? She had seen someone her first night as well, she was certain. The night before she'd met Joss…the night before she'd met Andy….

Carolyn shook her head. _They're both gone and still playing tricks on you, still making you wonder what you've really seen._

Wanting to avoid going back to the house as long as possible, Carolyn stopped by the café. She walked to a table outside and set her coffee down.

She barely had time to notice the shadowy movement before she heard the voice.

"Hi."

Carolyn's heart froze in her chest. Goosebumps prickled her arms and the top of her head. With a steadying breath, she turned to face the person looming behind her.

Joss's hair was pulled back. He wore a black T-shirt and light pair of jeans. A gold hoop still hung from his ear, and as his dark eyes held her, the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.

Carolyn stifled the urge to throw her arms around him. She opened her mouth but her thoughts were jumbled. After weeks of hoping for this moment, of dreaming about it, she didn't know what to say.

At last she found her voice. "Hi."

Joss stared at her. Carolyn's heart hammered in her chest. For a moment she wondered if he was real.

"How is everything?" he asked.

"Fine." _Just as you said it would be._ "You look good," she observed, and as Joss smiled, Carolyn felt herself blush. "Where's Andy?"

"Up north," Joss told her. "He found some work up there. Probably won't be back this way anytime soon."

Carolyn stared into Joss's black eyes. They made it difficult to focus. "But he's okay?"

"Yes," Joss replied softly, "he's okay."

Carolyn turned her attention to her bag. Her hands shook as she slid it off her arm. "I never got to thank him. For what he did."

Joss was silent a moment. "He knows," he said at last.

Carolyn set the bag next to her cup. She tried to avoid Joss's eyes, but she could feel them pulling on her, feel the attention they demanded, and helplessly she returned his gaze.

There were so many things she wanted to say to him, so many thoughts that floated through her mind. She struggled to grasp one in particular. She wanted to thank him, wanted to yell at him, wanted to—

"Your mother's all right?"

"Yes." Carolyn lifted her chin as though the question had been a challenge. "She's been home a few weeks now. Everything's been coming together nicely."

Joss nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, Carolyn spoke again.

"You lied to me, Joss." It was difficult for Carolyn to bring this up, especially with how glad she really was to see him, but she'd been wanting to get this out for weeks. "Over and over again, from the very beginning, you lied to me."

Joss closed his mouth. His eyes narrowed stubbornly, but she continued.

"You knew everything was driving me crazy, knew I was in _danger_ —"

"You weren't in any danger," Joss said. "Not with me around."

"We were both almost killed!" Carolyn reminded him. She shook her head. "You saved me, but the fact remains that you were in on it, that you _lied_ to me—"

"I knew Nora was dangerous."

Carolyn looked at Joss in surprise. "What?"

He took a step toward her. "I'll admit, the job intrigued me. I wanted to know what Nora was up to, the real reason she wanted you and your mother to leave so badly. And when your mother fell, I realized what Nora was capable of."

With a withering look, Carolyn shook her head. "Don't pretend—"

"I'm not pretending anything," Joss said calmly.

Carolyn felt the lump rising in her throat. She wanted so badly to understand, to believe him, but even after all the good he'd done, she couldn't forget how he'd lured her into the attic, how he'd denied it, how he'd watched her climb into bed with a skeleton.

"You could have told me everything. Instead you lied to me, tried to get me to believe in ghost lights, pretended you didn't know about all the weird things that were happening."

"Telling you would have put you in danger," Joss said. "I knew once Nora and Andy had the treasure, they would be long gone."

"And you too." To Carolyn's humiliation, tears flooded her eyes. "You couldn't wait to find it and get out of there."

A muscle clenched in Joss's cheek. "I left it with you, didn't I? I sent you the key."

"Is that what you've come for?" Carolyn threw back. She was crying now, her voice breaking, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Joss pulled her into his arms.

She remembered the feel of them, recalled the stormy night that seemed so long ago, and trembled. She relented to the tears and sobbed into his chest.

For a long time he held her. Carolyn pressed her face against him, relishing his strength, breathing in his scent. She wanted to pull away from him, yet she never wanted him to let her go.

At long last Joss stepped back, his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her eyes.

"You know why I'm back," he murmured, and he lifted his hand, brushing his thumb along her cheek, wiping her tears away.


End file.
